


what you win, what you lose

by Duck_Life



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Friendship, Gen, Loss, Pilots, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Spoilers, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:27:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21948826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duck_Life/pseuds/Duck_Life
Summary: Connix before and after the final battle against the First Order.
Relationships: Kaydel Ko Connix & Garam, Kaydel Ko Connix & Temmin "Snap" Wexley
Kudos: 2





	what you win, what you lose

Connix watches as Snap performs the final checks on his X-Wing. “Got your helmet?” 

“Yep,” he says, patting it where it rests in the cockpit.

“Got your protein rations?”

He pats a pocket of his flight suit. 

“Got your lucky socks?”

“I don’t wear lucky socks, Kay.”

“Maybe you should start,” she says solemnly. Snap sighs loudly and walks around the starfighter to stand next to her. 

You have way more pilots to worry about than just me,” he reminds her. 

Connix nods. It’s clear the general’s death is still weighing heavy on her, and this impending battle is only stacking more fear and stress on her shoulders. “Just… be careful, okay?” she says.

“No.”

“Don’t do anything stupid.”

“No.”

“You’re the worst,” she mumbles, shoving at him. But then she starts tearing up, and Snap notices. 

“Hey now, don’t… don’t do that,” he says, putting his hands on the lieutenant’s shoulders. “C’mon. If  _ you  _ start then  _ I’m _ gonna… oh, c’mon.” He’s crying too, now, tears falling freely down his face before his beard catches them. Snap pulls Connix into a hug, rocking back and forth as the two of them stand there crying. 

Lieutenant Garam is the one who finds them like that. “What the kriff are you two doing?”

“Get in here,” Connix says, reaching an arm out to pull Garam toward her and Snap. The three of them hug. 

“Oh, stop,” Garam insists, but she’s hugging them back. “We’re gonna look like wimps in front of General Calrissian.” 

“Any room for me in there?” 

Connix, Garam and Wexley all glance up at the sound of Karé Kun’s voice. “S’cuse me, ladies,” Snap smiles, extricating himself from the lieutenants. “The missus.” Connix and Garam back away from the starfighter, letting the pilots have their privacy. 

Garam squeezes Connix’s hand. “We’ll be okay,” she says. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


After the battle, Garam’s getting passed around for hugs and passing other people around for hugs in one big maelstrom of relief and celebration. And even though everybody is celebrating, everybody is also mourning at the same time. 

The remains of Black Squadron have clustered around Karé Kun. From here, Garam can see Jessika Pava’s hands on Karé’s shoulders as the other pilots surge in close to comfort the widow. 

Garam gets a hearty hug from Beaumont, and then she turns to see Connix standing in the midst of everything. The usually put-together, self-assured lieutenant looks… lost. “Hey,” she says, coming up to stand beside Connix. 

“Oh!” Kaydel pulls her into a tight hug, tucking her face over Garam’s shoulder. They hug for a long moment, listening to the shouts and cheers around them. Instead of letting go and moving away, Connix keeps clinging to her. So Garam clings back. 

“Poe told me about Snap,” Connix says.

“I figured.”

“It’s too much. Too many. We won, I know, we won, but it’s too many.”

“I know.” 


End file.
